Fruit-tree suspender



(No Model.)

J. WRIGHT. FRUIT TREE SUSPENDER.

No. 497,853, Patented May 23, 1893.

00: "cums PIPER! co Morpuma. wnsu NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WRIGHT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-TREE SUSPENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 497,858, dated May 23, 1893. Application filed November 10, 1892. Serial No. 451,538- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Tree Suspend ers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improved device for preventing the limbs of fruit trees from breaking during bearing time, and its novelty and advantages will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings in which- Figure 1, is a view illustrating my improved device in use. Fig. 2, is an enlarged detail perspective view, illustrating a portion of the stafi or upright, one of the limb hangers and the ring or annulus for connecting the hanger to the stafi; and, Fig. 3, is a detail transverse section taken through the staff or upright in a plane above the connecting ring.

Referring by letter to the said drawings: A, indicates the staff or upright of my improved device, which is designed to sustain the limbs of a tree as will be presently described. This staif or upright A, may be placed at any suitable point with respect to the trunk of a tree, and may be supported in its upright position in any approved manner, but I prefer in practice to place it at the side of the trunk, as illustrated, and lash or otherwise connect it thereto, so that it will offer no obstruction to a cultivator or the like, passing close to the trunk.

B,indicates a ring for connecting the limb hangers O, to the staff or upright A, as better shown in Fig. 1. This ring B, which has its inner edge scalloped as indicated by a, may be secured upon the staff or upright A, in any suitable manner, but I prefer in practice when a number of rings are to be employed, to taper the staff or upright toward its upper end as shown and make the rings B, of various sizes so that they will be supported upon said staff or upright at various elevations without the employment of connecting devices.

The limb hangers C, of my improved device, respectively comprise a cradle or bar I), which is designed to rest beneath a limb or series of limbs to be supported, and a hanger loop a, which is provided at its upper end with a hook (1, designed and adapted to engage the ring B, and connect the hangers to the staff or upright A.

For the sake of cheapness in the manufac- .ture of my improved device, I prefer to form the hanger loop 0, of the hangers C, of a single piece of wire having its ends connected to the cradle or bar I), and its upper portion bent to form the hook (I, but I do not desire to confine myself to such construction as the hangers may be formed in any approved manner.

In the practice of my invention, the staff or upright A, is secured in position and the ring B, is then placed upon said stafi, after which the cradles or bars 19, of the several hangers O, are placed beneath the limbs to be suspended and the hooks of the hanger loops 0, are placed in engagement with the connecting rings B; or, when desired, the ring 13, may be placed upon the stafi or upright, and the hanger loops may be connected thereto, before the staff is raised, after which. the cradles or bars may be placed beneath the limbs to be supported and connected to thehanger loops. It will thus be seen that the limbs will be suspended in an easy and natural position, and will be allowed to move in a wind without being disengaged from the hangers, which is a highly important desideratu n1.

If it is found difficult in practice to place the hangers O, in position, when both ends of the loop 0, are connected to the cradle or bar I), one end of the said loop may be disconnected from the bar and may be again connected thereto after the bar has been placed in position.

In some cases hangers as C, may be suspended from the cradles or bars of two hangers as shown in Fig. 1, so as to support limbs below said hangers; this arrangement being preferable when there is not sufficient room to permit of a connection of the hangers for the lower limbs to the ring B.

My improved device is exceedingly cheap and durable and it serves in addition to preventing breaking of the limbs, to balance the tree and hold the limbs in their proper position so as to assist the pruner in making a symmetrical top.

It will be further seen that my improved device offers no obstruction to the passage of a cultivator close to the trunk and cannot be knocked down by straying cattle as are props and the like.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device for preventing the limbs of fruit trees from breaking, the combination with a staff or upright, of a hanger comprising a cradle or bar adapted to rest beneath the limb or limbs to be suspended, and a hanger loop having its ends connected to the cradle or bar; the said hanger loop being adapted to straddle a limb or limbs so as to hold the same in position upon the cradle or bar, and being also adapted to be connected with the staff or upright so as to suspend the cradle or bar therefrom, substantially as specified.

2. In a device for preventing the limbs of fruit trees from breaking, the combination with a staff or upright, and a ring or annulus mounted on the staff or upright and having its inner edge notched or scalloped; of a hanger comprising a cradle or bar adapted to rest beneath the limb or limbs to be suspended, and a hanger loop connected to the cradle or bar so as to straddle the limb or limbs thereon, and having a hook at its upper end adapted to engage the ring or annulus on the staff or upright, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence'of two Witnesses.

JAMES WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

G. G. J OHNSON, A. DIXON. 

